What’s a Rabbi Doing at the Nativity Scene?
By Rabbi Barbara Aiello Last year, 2024, I had an experience probably unrivaled in the rabbinical world; dressed in my rabbinical robe and traditional striped tallit, I joined the residents of a neighboring town to participate in the Italian traditional “presepe vivente,” (pronounced “pray-SEH-pay”) the living nativity scene. The mountain Calabrian village of Panettieri was […]
An Empty Chair at the Holiday Table
When Parents and Adult Children Are Estranged Aging Jewishly – What Our Traditions Teach Us about Growing Old By Rabbi Barbara Aiello The cellphone chimed the first few bars of Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville”, jolting Julie out of her ten minute afternoon “schlaf.” “Did I catch you sleeping?” It was Beth, Julie’s oldest friend – the […]
